Optical projecting apparatus for a disk with concentric tracks of matter to be projected



March 20, 1951 w. s. ALDRICH in AL 2,546,054

OPTICAL PROJECTING APPARATUS FOR A DISK WITH CONCENTRIC TRACKS OF MATTER To BE PROJECTED Filed NOV. 4, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J F'IZ V ,V...

l --E -E L J 1 'Q' ZJMJMJ Mm; 12% Mad, 5y $41M.

March 20, 1951 w. s. ALDRICH 'ET,AL 2,546,054

OPTICAL PROJECTING APPARATUS FOR A DIsx WITH CONCENTRIC TRACKS 0F MATTER To BE PROJECTED Filed Nov. 4, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 AM Maw ,1 Mix 05% MMZV;

Patented Mar. 20, 1951 U T D "STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OPTICAL PROJECTING APPARATUS FOR A DISK WITH CONCENTRIC TRACKS OF MATTER TO BE PROJECTED William Stanley Aldrich, Chaldon, near Caterham, and Edward Charlton Aldrich, Shirley, I" f England, assignors to The British Vibralux Limited, London, England Application November 4, 1947, Serial No. 783,946 In Great Britain May 14, 1941 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 a Patent expires May 14, 1961 This invention relates to optical projecting apparatus .of the kind adapted for the production of displays upon screens. V

The invention has for its main object to provide an apparatus which will give an improved and pleasing display effect. I ii A further object is to provide a new and improved construction-and arrangementv of such projecting. apparatus-- which is efiicient and reliable in operation While being economic to run andmaintain. A still further object isto provide a projecting apparatus applicable for use with translucent and opaque screens so as to produce effective advertisement signs, notices and other displays either fixed, intermittent or continuous in theatres, cinemas, shop windows, foyers, show cases, show rooms, railway stations, post ofi'lces, and so forth, as wellas being applicable for use for producing luminous displays on internal or external screens for advertising and other purposes under normal lighting conditions.

These objects are achieved according to the present invention by providing a rotatable disc for supporting matter to be projected, rollers supporting the disc at its edge for rotation, means to drive constantly ,one of the rollers to rotate the. disc,..the matter for display being disposed LClaim. (o1. ss' 27) finiseparate items arranged in annular tracks composite matter for display, a plurality ofopti cal projectors-one for each track on the disc, and the said projectors being positioned for direct projection to the same projection area of a single screen and means to bring the disc to rest for a predetermined period with the items of the different sets held in register with the respective projector, the said means comprising a detent td 'engage-angularly spaced abutments on the disc and a release device operated by the cons'tantly driven roller to move the detent clear of the abutments.

The'invention will now be described with refren'ce to the accompanying drawing's wherein similar references indicate-like parts. """Fig'. l is a front View, Fig. '2 a fragmental plan view-and Fig. 3-a side view and Fig. 4 isa local elevation of one construction of projecting apparatus in accordance with the present inven- 2 tion. Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic View illustrating the projection. upon a screen, obtained with the projecting apparatusillustrated in Figs. 1 to 4. Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic front view on a small scale illustrating a further modification of pro jecting apparatus in accordance with the present invention, and Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating the projections obtained with apparatus con-' structed in accordancewith Fig. 6. 4 Referring to the drawing, I indicates there'cord disc of clear glass or other suitable transpar ent or translucent material which carries the matter to be displayed arranged in two concen-' tric annular tracks a, a separated from each other by an opaque ring 11, the inner edge of the record track a being defined by the opaque disc l of smaller diameter which is arranged or mounted centrally of the record disc I; 2 is a base furnished with two aperture gates l, 1' arranged therein so that the aperture gate 1 registers with the annular record track afon the record disc, while the aperture gate 1' registers with the inner concentric record track a of the record disc. The record disc is mounted in front of the base 2 edgewise upon grooved pulleys on rollers 3, 3a,-

31) that are rotatably mounted and arranged upon the base and connected with a suitable motor B so that one 01' more of such pulleys or rollers can rotate the record disc past the aperture gates and the corresponding optical projecting lens systems with its corresponding annular records in register therewith so as to produce the desired moving display upon the screen With'which theprojecting apparatus is arranged to co-operate.

The angular positions of this gate 1, l relatively to the rotating record disc i is arranged so as .to simulate displays which simultaneously move in different directions across the screen. Thus, in the construction illustrated, if the record disc I is rotated in a clockwise direction the pro-' jection through the gate I at the 3 oclock posi-' tion appears to run vertically up the screen, while that projected through the gate 1 at the 6 oclock. position of the annular record track a appears to run transversely of the screen. The projections through'each gate are focussed upon the screen as indicated in the diagram Fig. 5; so as to produce combined simultaneous displays. Thus, the vertically moving display through one of the aperture gates may consist 3 of descriptive matter relating to the horizontally moving pictorial display projected through the aperture gate and so forth.

Each optical projecting system indicated comprises a condenser C which together with an electric lamp D or other suitable source of light is mounted behind the base and an adjustable lens system E of known kind carried in a bracket F secured to the front of the base 2 so that the record disc I can rotate between the aperture gate I and the adjustable lens system E with its annular record track in register therewith so that the display matter on the record disc is projected as a moving luminous display upon a suitable screen.

To enable the record disc I to be intermittently operated while the driving pulley 3b is run continuously, the record disc I is furnished with a plurality of spaced stop pins II) which project outwardly from the front of the record disc and are arranged so that they cannot be displayed through the aperture gate I in the base as the record disc rotates. Such pins are arranged and adapted to contact a counterpoised or spring controlled detent II (see Fig. 4), pivotally mounted at Na in the bracket I2 secured to the front of the base 2. As shown the detent II is furnished with a counterpoise III) which carries a tailpiece I3 having a cam surface I3a which is arranged and adapted so as to contact a trip pin I4 secured in the face of the grooved driving pulley 3b.

As illustrated the stop pins II] are mounted in the opaque ring (1 arranged concentrically on the record disc.

The spaced stop pins I correspond in number with the number of sections of display matter comprised in the annular record tracks a, a, of the record disc and as the latter is rotated the stop pins successively abut the detent as the corresponding display on the rotating record disc is projected on to the screen so that the record disc is held until the detent is tripped by the pin it of the continually rotating driving pulley 31). After being tripped the detent is returned by its counterpoise to its normal engaging position so that by means of the detent and trip mechanism an intermittent rotary motion is imparted to the record disc. The arrangement is such that the disc is brought temporarily to rest when the related parts of the various combined displays (i. e. the vertically moving part and the horizontally moving part as seen in Fig. 1) come into a predetermined position as required for the combined display.

The pivoted detent may be mounted so that it can be rendered inoperative when it is desired to run the record disc continuously to produce a continuously moving luminous display. For example the pivoted detent IIa may be detachably mounted in its bracket I2 or such supporting bracket may be mounted so that it can be turned down to bring the detent out of the path of the stop pins on the record disc.

The circumferential edge of the record disc I is preferably rounded so as to facilitate its smooth frictional engagement with its grooved supporting pulleys or rollers 3, 3a, 3b, which latter may be made of metal, fibre, wood or other suitable material or materials, while to enable the record disc to be readily removed from and replaced edgewise on its supporting pulleys, one of these latter, for example the pulley 3a, is rotatably mounted in the forked end of a spring controlled bracket 8 pivotally mounted at 9 on the base 2- so. that such bracket can be turned back to en 4 able the disc to be easily lifted out and replaced, after which the bracket 8 is returned to its normal position to engage such pulley with the record disc as indicated.

The pulley or roller 31) is mounted on a spindle 30 that journals in the base 2 and is operably connected through reducing gear 3d to the electric motor B.

Figs. 6 and 7 are diagrams illustrating a transparent record disc I furnished with three concentric annular record tracks a, a, a separated by opaque rings d, d.

The outer edge of the outer concentric track 2 is defined by an opaque border 5 arranged upon the outer edge of the record disc I, and the inner edge of the inner concentric track a is defined by the smaller diametered opaque disc 4 arranged centrally of the record disc as previously described.

Such record disc is mounted edgewise upon grooved pulleys or rollers as previously described and rotates past the three aperture gates I, I, I arranged in the base 2 so that each registers with one of the concentric records on the rotatable record disc I, while the angular relationship of the three aperture gates I, I, I to each other and the rotating record disc, is arranged to give a simultaneous display of three projections so that each appears to move in a different direc tion across the screen on which the lens systems of the three gates are focussed as indicated in diagrammatic View, Fig. '7, to simultaneously superimpose the three projections on the screen so as to produce a combined moving optical display thereon.

The record disc or the display matter may be tinted to give various color efiects, or a further translucent or transparent color disc may be rotatably mounted together with the record disc so that the discs can be rotated to give color effects in the projected luminous display.

The color disc may be of the same dimensions as the record disc and is mounted edgewise in front of the latter upon a second set of grooved pulleys rotatably mounted upon the same spindles as those of the grooved pulleys or rollers which carry the record disc.

The color disc may be readily rotated'by the driving pulley of the record disc and for this pur-' pose a small grooved pulley may be attached to the outer face of the record disc driving pulley, such small pulley being operably connected by a cord to a similar pulley secured to the face of one of the pulleys which carries the color disc so that as the driving pulley of the record disc is rotated, motion is imparted to the color disc either in the same or the reverse direction by the belt gear through which the pulleys supporting the color disc are operably connected with the driving pulley of the record disc.

What we claim is:

Optical projection apparatus comprising a disc for supporting matter to be projected, rollers sup--, porting the disc at its edges for rotation, means to drive constantly one of the rollers to rotate the disc, the matter being disposed in separate items arranged in annular tracks concentric with the axis of rotation of the disc and the said items forming sets to provide'a composite matter for display, a plurality of optical projectors one for each track on the disc, the said projectors being angularly separated about the axis of rotation of the disc and the said projectors being positioned for direct projection to the same projection area of a single screen, and meansto bring the carrier to rest for a predetermined period with the items of different sets held in register with the respective projector, the said means comprising a detent to engage angularly spaced abutments 0n the disc and a release device operated by the constantly driven roller to move the detent clear of the abutments.

WILLIAM STANLEY ALDRICH. EDWARD CHARLTON ALDRICH.

REFERENCES CITED Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Hollen Dec. 14, 1897 Menchen Nov. 24, 1903 Oliver Oct. 25, 1910 Ashley Aug. 19, 1919 Redinger Nov. 11, 1924 Marshall Aug. 31, 1926 Nothstine Oct. 11, 1927 Smith Jan. 24, 1928 De Zeng Jan. 8, 1929 Oberg et al June 3, 1930 Stein Jan. 13, 1931 Schindler Feb. 26, 1935 

